


Time is a Fickle Thing

by Lily_Vipers



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama, F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-04
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 22:36:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4239189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lily_Vipers/pseuds/Lily_Vipers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone was interfering with the universe. Probably working for the Silence. That didn't matter right now. What mattered to the Doctor was…why the girl, who was not a girl and who definitely not his pink and yellow human, standing there channeling and manipulating all of creation?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Big Bad Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Time is a Fickle Thing  
> Category: Doctor Who  
> Summary: Someone was interfering with the universe. Probably working for the Silence. That didn't matter right now. What mattered to the Doctor was…why the girl, who was not a girl and who definitely not his pink and yellow human, standing there channeling and manipulating all of creation?  
> Pairings: Rose/Doctor, River/Doctor, Amy/Rory, Martha/Mickey  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
> Notes: I had this outlined before the 50th Anniversary. Actually, I had this plot-bunny thought up and saved on my computer for months, but I was just too lazy to write the story out. Good thing I am avoiding studying for finals, because here is the first chapter. :D

Amy believed in him. That was just fact. On days in which faith was not going their way, or on days in which Amy was having a bad hair day, his wife always counted on him on being there, being the Centurion he was, once upon a time. Hell, he waited two thousands years in front of a box for her. However, that act was a bit selfish. He just wanted to see Amy’s infectious smile once more. He wanted to feel her silky red hair through his fingers again. He wanted to hear her yell, whisper, moan his name, in the only way she knows how and the only way he’ll ever love. He wanted her and he wanted to be the man she could proudly say belonged to her and her alone.

So, what to do when he happened upon two thugs attacking a poor girl? Be the stand up guy Amy always believed him to be.

“Hey!” Rory shouted. “Leave her alone!”

The cold night air bit into his skin as Rory hurried down the alleyway. The two teenaged males decided it was a good idea to gang up on the girl, grabbing her arms and trying to place a kiss on her neck. One was holding her hands hostage behind her back. The other was feeling her up. However, seeing Rory hurrying toward them, the taller of the two males decided it was time to get out of there. He pushed the girl against the wall before grabbing his accomplice and scurried out of sight.

Rory tried to run after them, but once he got to the end of the alleyway, he couldn’t see where they went. Seeing he could do nothing but comfort the girl, he head back to her, trying to see if they had done any lasting damage, emotionally and physically.

“Thanks,” uttered the girl, her blonde hair covering her face. Her breathing was labored and Rory barely heard her voice.

“It’s no problem,” he replied. Trying to see the extent of her injuries, he grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse.

“Are you a doctor?” asked the girl. Her lips curled into a smile, amused at his show of care. She placed a slight emphasis on the word “doctor”, almost as if she was entertained with the idea that he could be just the one to help her.

“No, not a doctor. Nurse.” Strange. Her pulse was not elevated, nor did she showed any other signs of injury, except for her labored breathing. How could this be? He saw them ruffled her up pretty hard, throwing her against the cold, brick wall and forcing themselves on her. However, her pulse was steady and consistent. Adrenaline should be coursing through her veins. There should be a slight indication of something being amiss, rapidly beating heartbeats or dilated eyes. There was none of that.

“A male nurse,” mused the girl, as if she doubted his answer. She pushed herself off the wall and checked the end of the alleyway where the men disappeared. Seeing no one there, she focused her attention back onto the male standing before her, eyes gleaming and filled with misfit.  

“There seems to be no signs of distress. Do you need me to call the police? I’m sure if you file a report…”

“No, no, no. It’s not necessary.” She gave an exaggerated small shiver, rubbing her arms up and down in an attempt to warm up.

Rory took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulder. “Here. The night is too cold for one to go without a jacket.”

Hugging the jacket closer to her body, the girl asked, “What about you? I shouldn’t be taking this from you.” She took his hands and placed them on either side of her cheeks. “See, cold. And married.” She rubbed his wedding band against her skin.  

Rory gave a nervous laugh and pulled his hands back. “I’m fine. I live near here and I should be going.”

The girl pouted. “You can’t leave just yet. I need to repay you for saving my life.” She looked around. “Why don’t I treat you to a cuppa?”

Rory glanced at his watch. “I’m not sure.”

“Please, I need to do something for you,” said the girl, admiration and adoration underling her words.

Seeing the sincerity of her smile, Rory found himself nodding, even though he was suppose to meet his wife soon. There was something irresistible about her. He just couldn’t decline her invitation. He needed to see her be happy, smiling even.

Rory shook his head. His lack of sleep was making him think strange thoughts. Having adventures with the Doctor and running for his life do have a tendency to do that to him. Not everyone has a hidden motive up his or her sleeves. People could be friendly. It been known to happen.

“Good.” The girl grabbed his right hand and began to lead him away from the alley and out onto the streets. The normal buzz and hums filled the silence between them.  

“Are you from around here? You have a peculiar accent. Are you American?”

“Nope,” replied the girl, popping her ‘p’s. “To both questions.” She gave him a smile, tongue between her teeth.

Rory nervously looked at their intertwined hands. He wanted to let go, but at the same time, he didn’t. He didn’t want to upset her. Wait. Why should he care about upsetting her? “Umm, what’s your name? I’m Rory Williams.”  

The playfulness from before vanished from her face. She let go of his hand and turned around to look at him. “I’m no one.” Her tone seemed emotionless and dead. Her flirty attitude disappeared into a face that seen hard times and endured countless trials. It was of someone with nothing left to lose.  

He didn’t believe in what she was saying. After meeting Amy, his life was defined by her smiles, her words and her gestures. Even if God forbid he was in a world without her, he would be defined by his job, his family, his very being. “Everyone is someone.”

“Are you sure about that? Or do you lose yourself by being someone?”

They were standing pretty close, her shoes nearly touching his. Rory could see that her eyes were glazed over, staring at something beside his head. He was afraid to move. This girl is so peculiar. There was something off. About her. About this whole situation. He just didn’t know what.  

He opened his mouth to speak when she placed a finger on his lips, stilling him. “Shh,” she whispered. “Everything is so nice and fluid. Complicated, but beautiful.” Her eyes darkened. Rory swear he saw a bit of gold in them. “He has done much damage to you. To your time stream.”

“I’m sorry, what?” asked Rory. His mind was foggy. He could barely process his thoughts, let alone hear what she was saying.

She was doing something to him. He could see a whisper of gold encircling her, weaving through her hair and body. It reached out to him. He so badly want to touch it, have the gold engulf him whole.

The girl gave a smile, though Rory sensed no warmth, nor joy behind the action this time. “No need to worry about that. I’ll make sure he won’t harm anyone ever again.”

“HEY!” A shout was heard down the street. The girl shifted her eyes to the angry redhead coming at them. “Get your filthy hands off my husband!”

The shout from Amy jolted Rory out of his half-induced slumber. The girl in front of him said something. What was it?

“I guess I should be going,” said the girl. She took off Rory’s jacket and gave it back to him. She stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for saving me. Next time, I’ll save you.”

Rory placed a hand on where she kissed him. His mind was slowly becoming alive. He could finally hear his thoughts again, loud and clear. There was no more confusion, no more numbness. Did he eat something off today?

The girl gave a nod to the red head, before walking back into the alleyway.

“Amy, I wasn’t…”

Amy gave Rory a small push when she finally reached him. “No excuses.”

“I was saving her! There were two blokes that were…”

Amy gave an exaggerated sigh. “And you need to be the white knight and come in to save the day.”

How did she know? “Exactly, and I just…”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Come on, stupid face. We’re needed elsewhere.”

Giving no more thoughts to the strange girl he had just met, Rory hurried after his wife, putting the weird experience behind him.

At the end of the alley, the girl from before eyed the couple one last time before walking off, her body slowly disappearing in a swirl of gold and white. There was also a hint of black, slowly encroaching and threatening to overtake her body.

The plan was going well. There will be no mistakes. There will be no faults.

The girl gave a wide smile. Her right hand trailed along the wall, giving out sparks and leaving behind a gruesome looking black smudge.

She began to hum.

Yes, today was a good day. Tomorrow will be even better. The day after that will be ideal. It is when all days will end.

“Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?”

 

 


	2. No Prisoners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I finally have some time to continue this. Also, I quickly wrote this down, so mind the mistakes. I’m planning to come back and polish this chapter up a bit, but I’m going to be late for work and I just want to get this posted.

Once upon a time, she would’ve followed the Doctor to the depths of space, never minding her feelings for him and his lack of ones for her. She was his constant, the one to keep him present and moving forward and away from his pain. She thought she could make it better for him and for so long she thought that she was his solution.

She didn’t think that way anymore. After traveling through time and space with him and facing the end of the universe one too many times, she knew that she was never his end and he was never her beginning.

Besides, her and the Doctor together? Even she could not comprehend the concept now. It was never meant to be and, thank god, it never came to fruition. It would’ve ended badly and probably damage her self-esteem in the long run.

But that was the past, her feelings and her relationship with the Doctor, which was purely platonic, by the way, just in case if anyone asked. The Doctor didn’t need her anymore. He probably picked up someone new by now, someone that could actually help him through his pain, something she never fully did. She had someone else in her life now. Someone she could imagine spending the rest of her life with, through hardships and happinesses. Hey, they even gotten married just after two dates. She now understood what the Doctor had and she could only imagine the pain it must of felt when he lost the person that he was in loved with. No one should go through that.

But he was an alien and his own being. She could not possible imagine how he might have felt and what he will feel. He was not hers to dictate. She didn’t have the right.  

However, he could be so _human_ sometimes. No matter how many times she remembered him saying that he was above her kind, the feelings and the limitedness of being human. How she was destined to grow old and died, barely given enough time to achieve something worthy or to give something substantial back to the universe.

And this was why the Doctor still needed her, even though he probably didn’t even know that he still needed her. He needed her to remind him that time is not his enemy. It was how he uses it.

He needed her. She needed to shield him from what is happening. His hearts had suffered enough pain.

He needed her.

Even though she haven’t seen him in years. Even though he probably dismissed her from his thoughts. (Okay, let’s be real. He probably didn’t even think of her from time to time. His purpose and lifespan didn’t permit him from remembering the pains of his past.)

But don’t ask her that, why she was on this suicide mission. She was not doing this for him. She was doing this for the good of the universe. She was doing this for the continuation of her kind, of her planet, and of all the stars and planets between Earth and the edge of space.

This was what she tells herself. This was what she needs to believe in.

“Receding Hairline, do you copy?” She shifted slightly from behind the telephone booth. She could barely make out the girl across the street, the blonde whose hair was shining underneath the streetlights.

“My hairline is not receding,” retorted the male voice in her earpiece. He mumbled something else that she couldn’t quite hear.

She chuckled softly. “Honey, I’m sorry to say that you are wrong on that front. Believe the lies you tell yourself.” She ducked behind her hiding place when the blonde looked over at her direction.

“Martha, I like to believe that I am forever young and beautiful, capable of attracting others who are also young and beautiful.”

Martha hesitantly looked back across the street. “Wait.” She titled her head as she finally comprehend what he just said in response. “Are you being snarky?” She smiled. “You are. That’s sweet, thinking you can one up this conversation. It’s a weak jab, by the way.” Damn it. She needed to get closer. There were just too many variables between her and the blonde. And, for Christ’s sake, why must this happen at night?

“Well, if you must know…”

“Hold on,” she said, interrupting him of his remarks. “I think a couple of blokes is jumping her.”

“Do not interfere.” His teasing gone from his tone.

“I’m not an idiot.” She squinted her eyes. “What I don’t get is why is she letting them…..oh.”

“What is it?” Martha could hear the worry in his voice.

She turned away from the scene in front of her. “She’s letting herself be rescued by a guy. It must be some ploy of hers.”  She looked back onto the scene. “And she’s flirting with him. Of course she is.”

“Do you think that she is finally making a move?” the voice in her ear asked.

Martha paused and considered what she was witnessing. No, the blonde would’ve never been this open. This was reckless. “I don’t think that she’s finally making a move. I think that she’s about to play her last chess piece.”

“She’s letting us see that things are in motions then.”

Martha sighed, running her hand through her hair. Her eyes darted from the blonde to the bloke who rescued her. “I think she’s manipulating him, somehow. Shit. I think he’s one of his companion.” She paused. “And she’s glowing gold, Mickey. Gold.”

“I do not have to say it again. Do not interfere.” How did he know? How did he know that she was about to reach for her gun and then….guns didn’t work before. It would not work now. “Remember what happened last time?”

“Yeah, sure, Mickey. She almost killed you trying to get to the Doctor and now you want me to just stand here and do nothing?” This was not how UNIT trained her to be.

“Yes. Do nothing. She’s not the same person anymore. I don’t even think that….she’s not in there anymore.” Martha heard the sadness in his voice. “It just that…. _thing_.”

“Mickey, I need to do something or….someone is coming up to them.” She sighed in relief, releasing the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “She’s leaving them alone.” Something beeped. Martha looked down to her belt, checking the beeper she had clipped to it. “And I got her time signature.”

“You mean she allowed us to get her time signature when we couldn’t before,” said Mickey, voicing what they both thought. “Whatever she is planning, it’s happening soon, huh?”

Martha closed her eyes and breathed the cool night air. She allowed the sounds of the street and the people around her take her away for a bit. The Doctor loved Earth and her and Mickey and countless of people before and after them. (Okay, maybe not Mickey. But that wasn’t the point.) If that _thing_ thinks that they will give up without fighting, think again. Martha had lived through the end of the universe. More than once, actually. This will just be another day on the job.

She hoped.

Martha opened her eyes, just as the blonde across the street turned her head in her direction and smiled as their eyes met, brown meeting dark green.

Martha felt something ignite in her. There was fire behind her eyes as she watched the blonde turned back and disappeared from her view.

“And whatever she has planned, it doesn’t matter. We will take that bitch down.”


	3. Dancing with Glenn Miller

He was underdressed.

Scratch that.

Jack was absolutely certain that he was _very_ underdressed. He may be wearing a pretty good looking trench coat, with some nice shirt and pants to go along with it, but the men here were wearing tuxedos…with tails. The women were wearing fur along with their evening gowns, but the men were wearing _tuxedos with tails_.

Actually, he was okay with that. The men looked _good_. Some were even wearing a top hat and carrying a cane. Even better. The things one could do with a cane.

But, damn.

He had a mission to follow through and just because that guy over there was eyeing him up and down it didn’t mean he doesn’t have a job to do. The fate of the universe was resting on his hands. Then again…when wasn’t the fate of the universe hang in the balance?

But, hell. How he could paint this town red with that gentleman over by the doorway or the lady over by the band. Shit, he was sure he could get both of them to leave with him and do things one shouldn’t utter or think of in front of their mothers, or even in front of their more experimental and open-minded friends. 

Jack rested his head on the tabletop, nestled behind his arms. What happened to the fun, loving who cares about rules Jack?

Oh, yes.

The Doctor. Rose. Ianto. All the people he lost, while he was still here, trying to live.

This was what happened when you gave your heart away. Suddenly, you fucking care.

He gave a sigh, because, god damn it, this was what Ianto would do. Give a damn.

Jack wasn’t planning on staying long. He just needed to find a certain red head at this party, or whatever you call this gathering of heads in the clouds big-shots. He needed to find someone who also sticks out from this time period, which shouldn’t be that hard. She liked to stick out from the crowd.

Jack quickly grabbed a flute of champagne off from the bar he was leaning against and just drowned the alcohol. He was not even sure where he was at. Probably some big shot Hollywood executive’s mansion, given the various 1930s movie stars roaming about, chatting here and there. There was a grand staircase at one end of the hall, reminiscence of the one seen in _Titanic_ , the movie, not the ship. Though, to be honest, he did almost have a chance to sneak onto the ship, but given the fact that it was going down in the middle of the Atlantic, he preferred not to ruin his clothes by jumping into the cold frigid waters and swimming for dear life. To die from hypothermia over and over again is not what you call great fun to end the weekend. There was the other thing about seeing people dying and he couldn’t… _shouldn’t_ …do anything about, and he wasn’t sure about his self-control in warning the ship captain.

There was a band off on the side, setting up and getting ready to wow the audience, who were currently getting drunk off their asses, seeing how there were numerous empty glasses lying about. The Depression sure didn’t really scaled back the parties being thrown here. He had to get through a throng of people standing around by the main entrance as they watched fireworks exploding high up in the sky. There were no sense of shame here, given that a few blocks away people were lining up for food and half a world away people were fighting for their lives.

Well, as long as they have alcohol.

Jack picked up another flute, swirled the drink a bit, and drowned the contents, the bubbly liquid easing down his throat before settling in his stomach. He needed something stronger, preferably something resembling gasoline.

Jack caught the eye of an up and coming scarlet, raising his empty glass to her in greeting. She shyly looked away, red coloring her cheeks. Her male companion harshly tugged her away from Jack once he realized who his date was focusing her attention to.

The former Time Agent smirked. He still got it. Well, he never planned on losing it.

He scanned the crowd again. She should be here. He followed her here, every clue she purposely left behind said that she would be here, probably to taunt him and, maybe, depending on her mood, kill him.

It happened before. She liked to shoot at things, especially if the “thing” she was shooting at has the ability to come back alive. To be a bad girl without living through the consequences had its appeal.    

Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder and a sweetly voice. “Hello, darling.”

Jack turned around and smiled. Finally, this evening was going somewhere. “River, it seems that everywhere I go, which ever time I travel next, you are there.”

River gave a small peck on his cheek, before straighten out his collar. “Sorry, dear. I think you got it backwards there. You are the one following me, not me following you.” She paused. “Even though you have a nice bottom.” Her hands brushed imaginary lint off his shoulders before traveling down his arm, any excuse to keep her hands on his body, though Jack assumed that she was checking for weapons. Sneaky woman, and smart. Too bad she was taken. This didn’t stop him before, but it was the man she was taken with that made him pause. Also, it did help that she was a bit of a homicidal maniac bent on destroying everything. Well, he may of exaggerated a bit there.

Jack laughed a little and shook his head. “And here I thought you only flirt with the Doctor.”  

She eyed him up and down, her elevator eyes mimicked the famous Mae West’s. Actually, Jack was pretty sure he saw the actress earlier in the evening arguing with a film producer about the production code. What are the chances? “I make exceptions, here and there. You, however, given what I know about you, you flirt with anyone and everyone.”

Jack placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head a bit. “Guilty as charged.” He glanced to the people moving about on the dance floor. “Do you like Glenn Miller?” The band had finally finished setting up, tuning their instruments and introducing themselves to the room while River and Jack talked. The startling clarity of the first note and the beginning of a rhythm had finally set the mood of the party, and, yes, there should be a pun in there somewhere, but River was making his head a little funny.  

River tucked a hair behind her ear next to a hairpin. Her white gown glimmered under the lights, her hemline a little bit too short for the time period. There were not too subtle glances in their direction since the start of their conversation. “Are you asking me to dance?” she asked, her question sounded innocent, but Jack could hear the vex undercurrent. There was an advantage in going along with this ruse. River needed to know what Jack knows and Jack needed to gleaned as much information from her as possible.  

Jack took a hand and lead River to the dance floor, not waiting for an answer to his question. “I’m not asking you for anything.”

The two weaved effortlessly through the floor, careful not to bump into anyone, but still moved with grace, even if their movements were quick. There was an issue of time on Jack’s part, but he was sure that River have places to go to as well. The whole ‘homicidal maniac’ bit did have a _little_ history behind it.

“Tell me, River. Why are you trying to kill a man you claim to love?” asked Jack, suddenly. There was no use in dilly dallying the topic, or else they would both be stuck here to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Strike when she least expect it, or just bring up the man she loves and watch her squirm.

River smiled, as if she was anticipating this question. “I now see where this evening is going. Tell me, Jack, why are you so concerned for a man who doesn’t care about you anymore?”

Jack frowned a bit at this line of questioning. “He’s a busy man, saving the universe and all. I don’t expect him to make house calls.” It also helped that the Doctor did not like looking back on his past. Or, at least at Jack. Him being wrong and that sort of thing. Though, on Jack’s defense, it was Rose who made him out this way.

“But yet you feel neglected when he doesn’t return a phone call.” She sure knew how to push his buttons, didn’t she?

“River, I’m finally able to have a serious conversation with you, without you running away from me or having various people shoot at me. I’m trying to be civil here. Just answer my question, and just _maybe_ I’ll let you go without doing too much harm.” There. Direct and simple. Maybe he’ll have time to shag the brunette over by the doorway.

Sigh.

It won’t happen. River won’t let that happen.

“Darling, I’m not afraid of you doing harm to me. You should be more afraid of what I can do to you,” replied River, her sweetly tone was beginning to waned thin. She harshly pulled him closer. Jack could swear that he felt a small gun underneath that dress of hers. It wouldn’t surprised him.

“Well,” started Jack. “I can’t exactly died, so no harm, no foul sort of thing.” He gave a small peak to River’s forehead.

“Ahh, getting friendly here.”

Jack smirked. “You started it. I’m just returning the favor.”

The song ended and the other couples on the dance floor left or began to mingle around. The sound of their chattering filled the empty space the music left behind. River let go from Jack and took a step back. A pin came loose and strands of hair were beginning to cover her eyes. She removed the metal flower shaped pin and began twirling it in her hand as she watched the man before her. Jack had beads of sweat lightly flowing down the side of his face, as evidence from the dance they danced or the nerves inspired from the woman before him.

“I’m just saving the man I love, Jack. If he dies, he dies. I can’t exactly control the outcome or the consequences of my action.” There was a hint of sadness encroaching in River’s eyes when she made that statement.

Jack sighed as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants. “And that is what I don’t get, River. You love the Doctor, but you are planning to kill him? How is that logical to you?”

“I never said it was logical and I never said that the Doctor is the only person that I love, Jack. There’s another that I love as much as I love the Doctor, maybe more, and I suggest, Jack, that you stop following me and trying to figure out what we are doing,” warned River, the sadness from her voice and demeanor suddenly gone. Instead, she began to display a bit of hostility. “Your little trick with immortality, well, let’s just say that it’s not as permanent as you think. We can easily take it away from you.”

Jack narrowed his eyes, his fingers itching to reach for his gun. “Threatening me won’t make me stop hunting you guys down. I will do anything for the Doctor.”

River sadly smiled. “So would I and this is why we must continue to do what we are planning to do. I’m sorry, Jack.” Suddenly, River took a step to him and injected Jack in the neck with something from her metal hairpin. “It’s just a mild sedative,” she said, as she watched the man before her fall to the ground, inciting panic and shouts from the people in the room. She watched as several in attendance rush to Jack’s attention, slightly pushing her away from the unconscious man. River placed the pin back in her hair and began to walk away. “Until we meet again.”


	4. In Lies the Discussion

It was irritating, really. This constant bickering back and forth, making sure the plan was following through and no idiots lying around ruining what was necessary and needed. How was there a deadline when she was working with someone who controls time and space? Even she couldn’t fathom the logic and logistic behind that statement.

Kovarian was a woman with a purpose, though why her gender should matter, she didn’t know. She had a purpose, a calling in life, one might say. That was more than some have going in their life, the aimless direction, the question of what to do. Kovarian was no such person. This was what she was working on for the past _decades_. She knows what needed to be done, if no one else was smart enough, brave enough and courageous enough to step up.

The Doctor was destroying the universe with his petty indulgence of butting his head in every little thing, disrupting the very fabric of time just because he was _bored_. He leaves behind wars, paradoxes, and basic disruptions all because he had the power to do so, him claiming to be much smarter than everyone else and much superior in species.

Yes, Kovarian was dedicating her life to this organization because she believed in stopping this mad man. He needed to be stop. Look at what he and his species and their enemies had done already. Death of planets, billions lives lost, the stars flicking in and out of existence. Can’t he see what he was doing? No, of course not. He was a mad man, a head beyond the clouds. This man believed he was doing good. _Really_.

And this blubbering red head was _hesitating_.

Kovarian was just checking up on her asset. An asset that she spent _years_ of her life developing. And like hell will she let this blubbering asset of hers ruin what was _years_ in the making.

“Are you sure that this is the only way,” asked the voice on the other end of the line. The tone clear, while there was static accompanying her words. Kovarian resisted the urge to rolled her eye, the only one she had left intact. It was the same conversation over and over again with this girl. This line of questioning was not necessary. It was a _waste_ of time. Didn’t she know this? The plan was discussed numerous of times. The blonde was very insistence of going over every single little detail. It was like the red head knows this plan will fail, that it was not flawless. Believe in the higher power. Believe in things beyond your comprehension. If not, fuck off. “Yes. Are you getting cold feet? _Scared_? Because there is no time for that. You were born to do this.” She did not agreed to babysit a child just so she could have the same conversation over and over again.

“I just wanted to be sure that this is the course of action she wants me to take.”

Of course the blonde wants her to take this course of action. Even with the spontaneity, the randomness, the unpredictability of the Doctor’s actions and his army of companions, there were specific actions and discourse to follow. This was only one of many. Everyone had their part. The red-head better do hers.     

“It is the only way,” Kovarian replied, evenly.

A sigh. “I needed to hear it from her.”

“She’s busy,” snapped Kovarian. “Changing the universe is a hard business to get into.”

There was silence on the other end. Kovarian almost ended the transmission in spite when the voice on the other end started up again.

“She doesn’t care about your intentions or role in this, _Madam_ ,” the voice said, anger tingling her words.  “Nor does she care about my intentions or role in this. She only knows whom to use and whom to manipulate in order to get what she wanted. If you think you have a significant part in this, or your role in procuring me, think again. In the end she only cares about one thing. One _person_. And it isn’t you. And it isn’t me.”

There was a long, loud beep, signaling the end of the transmission. Kovarian’s hand was above a lever, hovering and slightly shaking. She pulled her hand back to herself. Her asset must of been thinking about that for awhile now, waiting for the right moment to unleash her perceived _truth_ on Kovarian. A misguided, insignificant, and trivial little truth.

Of course they were all pawns in this grand game between the blonde one and the Doctor. Of course they were being manipulated and controlled. See how the Doctor control his _companions_. See how the Doctor is able to charm and maneuver his way out of tricky situations that he himself started in the first place! We must play his game to win in the long run. The blonde understood this. She knows the rules and the little shortcuts. She knows what made the Doctor tick.

It didn’t matter who was manipulating whom. It shouldn’t matter. As long as they all have the same objective. There was a mission. This was it. If the blonde needed to have feelings for that mad man, so be it. Anyone who spent a considerable amount of time with the Doctor will gain feelings in the end, either worship, hate or loneliness. As long as in the end it result in his death. Kovarian should know. Pushing feelings aside was nothing. This was what needed. The universe depended on them.

_“I might always be around, so you need to be in charge, Kovarian. Be the general. Be the leader. Make people listen to you. You have a role to play, as do we all. It is essential that we all play the cards that we were dealt with. Together we will end the suffering. There will never be another Time War. There will never be any suffering done by this Time Lord again. Not to another planet. Not to another society. Not to another soul.”_

Kovarian believed in Bad Wolf. Her powers was all knowing and all seeing. The Doctor will destroy the universe. They just need to destroy him first.


	5. A Side-way Step From Reality

Something was off.

Not off off, like she was a mental case, or something. Definitely not a mental case. (Just don’t ask her mum and grandfather that. Please.)

Something was just fucking off. The sky was still blue. The clouds still picture perfect white. It was just….

Her headaches had been getting worse, her eyesight tended to blur in and out, and the bloke at work would not stop hitting on her, but that was a harassment issue and not a health issue.

But, most importantly, she had been having dreams. Dreams of far-away places and creatures unknown. There were also the many shades of blue following her: teal, indigo, sapphire, majorelle. A running sentence repeating over and over again, _“You’re the most important woman in the whole universe.”_

And running. She never stopped running. In her dreams, or in her life. Nothing was settled. Nothing was fixed. _“Fixed points in time….”_ There were no such thing as fixed points in time. There were ways around it.

Donna paused. Puzzled. Where did that thought came from?

The stars were flickering. Equations and numbers flashed through her mind. Napkins filled with scribbles, expansion of Einstein's theory of relativity and rough scratches of planets amongst the numbers and letters and symbols. Black ink. Red ink. Lead. Anything she could get her hands on. She made sure to hide them away, scared of what her mum would do if she saw her nonsense scribbles. How do you explain that one day she could rattle off equations and speak foreign languages with no difficulties or experiences? She was nothing special. Just a temp. Nothing at all brilliant. But amongst her napkins and scraps of papers, all scribbled with notes and numbers and drawings, the world was trying to tell her something different. Maybe she needed a doctor, after all.

But, yet.

Donna swore that there was a flower shop down by the market, and not a butcher shop. They had the most delightful periwinkle flowers that she used to decorate her room. She once spent a lazy Sunday afternoon moving her furniture around and painting her walls Egyptian blue. She was in a manic mood, brush strokes up and down, left to right. Donna only stopped when the doorbell rang and a vase of yellow daisies stared up at her from the welcome rug, with only a one-word note, “ _Remember.”_  

But, yet.

Wasn’t the next door neighbor a retired Scottish doctor and not a blonde American college student?  The bookstore was now a tea shop? Her car a blood-red shade, and not a steel blue?

Did anyone else noticed that things were changing around them? Was she stuck in a mental hospital somewhere and she was just daydreaming life as they once were?

_“A whole wide universe and I met you for a second time.”_

Where had she heard that before, mixing in with images of the strangest creatures and landscapes?

Forwards. Onwards. She must move onwards. There was no one following her. No golden eyes haunting her.

But, yet.

Sometimes she would see shimmers in the air as if reality tried to reset itself, which was nonsense, really. How would air shimmer?

More scribbles. More napkins. Pounding, pounding, pounding. How did her head stayed on with all the pounding?

A co-worker of hers once described her grandfather’s time at NASA during the space race in the 1960s. An engineer, or something like that. The Americans were hiring anyone who would help them advance and beat Russia.

Donna was captivated. Immersed in the story. It was a fantastic life to live. Utterly fantastic. Stuff of legends.

Her mind continued to pound. It beginning to burned. And what with that constant whirring sound? The buzzing. Buzzing. At all hours of the days, coming in and out at random intervals. The sounds of a machine struggling to run, desperately trying to get her attention. Whirring in and out. In and out. And somewhere in there, a howling once or twice. More than twice.

Whatever this was she was not going down that easily. Not if she could helped it. She was Donna _fucking_ Noble. If she was going down, like hell she wouldn’t bring someone down with her.

She would love the company in the hellhole. To keep her sane.

Once, on a lark, she made a trip to Cardiff. Left home one day and told no one where she was going. She wasn’t even sure why she needed to go to Cardiff, but the trip was exhilarating and freeing. She felt like she belonged and the pounding in her mind faded away with a whisper. The air was crisp and the rain light. The beauty of the Euler's identity, Euler–Lagrange equation, and various others flooded her brain. When Donna closed her eyes, she could envisioned Cardiff a hundred and fifty years into the future, the sun plasma forever churning on as the star rotated and orbited, and….a humanoid creature with tentacles populating the lower half of his face and his one-sentence warning, _“Only you can save them, Doctor-Donna.”_

Donna never made another trip to Cardiff after that incident.

Her mind continued to pound and burned. The whisperings and images becoming ever clearer.

It all cumulated one day at work as she was on her way to pick up a package for her boss. A flash of cobalt blue at the corner of her vision. The whirring sound gaining traction. The pounding in her head.

She knocked against an invisible wall, head bounced off and legs collapsing. Suddenly the harsh asphalt captured her fall, blood seeping out from a cut and mixing with her red hair. Darkness began to pulsed behind her eyelids, her vision clouding and chasing out the sky blue sky in front of her. Her mind suddenly opened to all the possibilities in the universe. Her fingers loose, her body fading away.

The whispering. The breath hitting her ears. The desperation bleeding through.

Always with the whispering. A woman’s voice.  

_“I believed in her.”_


	6. An Adventure Awaits

The TARDIS hummed and footsteps echoed in a circular fashion as the Doctor sped about flicking switches on and off and adjusted knobs here and there. He paused by a monitor, staring at his reflection and instinctively fiddled with his collar. 

“How’s the bowtie?” he asked, eyes flickering about the console room. “Nevermind. Silly question.” He gave a small, quick tug. “It’s always perfect.”

Amy laughed at his antics as she leaned a bit closer to Rory. They were leaning against the railings as they watched their daughter and the Doctor argue about where to go on their next adventure. 

Things were muddled after River wedded the Doctor and Amy’s actions killed Madame Kovarian. Kovarian had stolen Amy’s and Rory’s time with Melody; time they would never get back. Time to be her parents, and not her best friend, as Amy thought back to Mel and their time growing up. Kovarian had taken Melody, mapped out her future, and condemned her to a false prophecy. And the Doctor here was trying to cheer her up, in his own way, even months after the fact and their unspoken secrets: spotty memories and missing time. 

“Did I tell you, Amy, about the time I was stuck on an impossible planet orbiting around a black hole?” asked the Doctor as he flicked another switch and winked at River. The older woman only laughed as she paged through her diary, pausing here and there to read a passage or two. 

“How can a planet orbit around a black hole?” asked Rory, his voice taken an inquisitive tone. 

“Ah, Rory the Roman, here’s lies the question, which involves a lot of pulling and twisting and being at the right place and at the right time,” said the Doctor. His way of explaining complex cosmic marvels as happenstance was to avoid the question or ramble about in circles on everything but the topic at hand. Amy knew he prefered the latter. He always liked to show off how knowledgeable he was, even if he was bloody wrong. 

The Doctor took a quick glance at the couple, his floppy hair flopped a bit more, and his eyes took on a pained look, to quick for anyone to notice if they hadn’t been looking at him. Amy always looked at him. 

“No matter. It was a different time, different face, not-ginger hair, and plenty of bananas,” finished the Doctor. He stood proud at the console, fingers intertwining with his suspenders and pulling them back and forth.   

“Bananas?” asked Amy, eyebrows quirked. Rory mouthed the same question. 

“Could’ve been a different different face, but there were fish and chips!” exclaimed the Doctor. His finger was pointing in the air as to further his point. The TARDIS seemingly hummed in agreement. 

“Well, they are delicious,” agreed Amy, a little bit spook and wondered if the TARDIS and the Doctor engineered this whole charade. She noticed River paused briefly at the turn in conversation, her expression unreadable. Amy unconsciously tugged Rory a bit closer. Even after all they been through, the death of the Doctor, the birth of her child, and the revelation on who River Song actually was, Amy was still uncertain around the older woman. She was torn between loving her daughter unconditionally and hating her indefinitely. Psychopath, yes. Currently imprisoned for killing the Doctor, yes, but was she really at fault? Or did they all failed her and River chose the easy way out and followed her programming?   

The Doctor walked back to the Ponds and smiled brightly at Amy. “Precisely! And delicious, delicious bananas. Bananas are good for you.” He quickly spun around and continued tinkering. “The events this past couple of months has made me gone soft,” said the Doctor, off-handedly. He took no note on River and the Ponds as he continued to ramble about. “I’m reminiscing about time gone past and I made it a habit not to get too sentiment. Maybe I should visit some old friends. See how’s everyone doing? I’ve met so many humans and I’m tired of seeing you lot.” He waved his hand absentmindedly at his current companions. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetie,” said River. She closed her diary with a thump. “Old memories and all that. And not to mention crossing timelines.” 

Amy noticed that RIver’s voice was slightly strained as she nudged the conversation along from the topic. 

“Quite right. Quite right,” agreed the Doctor. He took off his tweed jacket and tossed it over to Rory. It landed with a smack as Rory was too busy looking at Amy as his wife continued to stare at the couple before them. 

“That hurt,” stated Rory, bluntly. He held out the jacket as it was an unknown package waiting to explode. 

“Good,” said the Doctor. “You must always be on alert and ready to catch anything I throw at you, especially if it’s an explosive.” 

Rory quickly dropped the jacket. “Explosives?” 

“He’s joking,” said Amy as she rolled her eyes. 

River walked up to the Doctor and placed a hand on his arm. “We can do something boring and mind-numbing,” she said, her tone uncharacteristically sweet. “Something to change the pace.” 

“And what’s that, dear?” asked the Doctor, his hands never stilled and his feet tapping away at an unknown rhythm. 

“I’ve always wanted to see a star being born,” confessed River.  

“Perfect,” said the Doctor. His lips turned to a smile. “I know just the place.” 

Amy couldn’t help but feel that something was amissed. 

xXxXxXx

River watched as her parents and the Doctor took a look out the door as the TARDIS spun around a newly created star. She gave the old girl a pat on the console before saying, “Sorry, but I have to do this.” She walked around before finding the right part. River silently removed a hatch and placed a small device inside, before putting everything right and order. 

Amy looked back. Her gaze questioning. “Melody, you’re missing the view.” 

River took one last look at the console and said, “Coming. Coming.” She ignored how her breath was caught at the use of her given name. 

The TARDIS gave a small, distress humming sound, too softly for anyone to hear, as River walked away. 

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on ff.net


End file.
